12063 replies to this topic

[ccaissie]

I keep eyepieces in my pocket under such conditions.

 

Another glowing Meade mirror report. I'm wanting an 826!

 

Beautiful job on the scope! Looks like the Meade 8x50 finder - mine is really good.

 

-drl

Our club was given TWO 826's and indeed the mirrors test extremely well in the field and the test bench DPAC.

 

My pockets are usually full of shmutz, so yes I keep eyepieces in my pocket...IN A BAGGIE.

Edited by ccaissie, 26 November 2024 - 07:52 PM.

[davidmcgo]

Grabbed an hour or so starting at 0430 this morning with my 1976 orange C5 since I caught a glimpse of Jupiter out my window when I started tossing and turning.

 

It was really foggy around and the deck was soaking wet, so I plopped the drive base onto my C10’s pier but did not plug in the drive.  Only thing I plan to cook today is turkey wings and I wasn’t desiring to be the turkey.  Put in the Unitron diagonal and a 9mm Tani 0.965 Ortho and got a fabulous view right away of Jupiter with the Great Red Spot near the meridian and Io rapidly approaching the limb.  Great contrast on the cloud bands and mottling and detail in them.  No idea how this little scope does so well, but definitely top notch optics in it.  Still amazed I got it at the club’s banquet auction a few years back for the $50 opening bid.

 

Mars was over 70 degrees high, so I am glad I have one of the rare as hen’s teeth 5x24 right angle finders on it.  Swung the little tube on up and a crisp disk with a very prominent Norht Polar Hood showing and some of the dark features.  The 9mm was a bit low magnification to really make them out well over the brightness of the lighter surface but I didn’t want to get my Takahashi eyepieces soaked.

 

Swung back to Jupiter to catch Io’s shadow nd the moon’s ingress onto the disk of Jupiter and then noticed the view getting hazy as the corrector fogged up.

 

I had been hoping to get out with the new van and a big scope this weekend but weather isn’t going to cooperate according to the forecast.  So I’m glad for a little eyepiece time this morning and some good Jupiter and Mars views.

 

Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

 

Dave

Edited by davidmcgo, 28 November 2024 - 10:20 AM.

[Paul Sweeney]

I awoke this morning to find that the perpetual cloud cover was gone and there was a wonderfully clear sky. The sky was just beginning to brighten. The transparency was high, but the seeing only about a 5-6.

I took out the Vixen 80L to take a look at Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter was well to the Northwest and getting low. I could only use 120x or lower. The image jumped about and drifted in and out of focus. Nothing but general markings was to be seen.

Mars was up near the zenith. Here the air was a lot steadier. I could see that Mars was not round, more of a football shape. The polar cap was visible as were some vague surface details.

By now it was getting light. I noticed the very thin moon rising over some trees. Here, way down on the horizon, the seeing was much better. I could make out some nice surface details. The earthshine was easily visible against the bright sky, especially at low power.

[highfnum]

took out "snow White"  my Jaeger 6 inch F10

 

Jupiter with MV1 filter and then Baader contrast

 

mv1

 

B contrast

 

[starman876]

Had out my orange celestron 70mm fluorite for a quick peek at jupiter and Saturn.   Saturn looks very interesting with the rings on edge.  

[highfnum]

stormy Jupiter

  orange tube c8 

red light

[highfnum]

Jupiter with criterion dynascope 4 inch F12

 

red light

 

white light

 

 

[highfnum]

orange tube c8 

Jupiter color shot

[oldmanastro]

I have experienced three days of clear transparent nights with excellent seeing, that is until today. The Jupiter image is from two nights ago when I was using my 100mm Carton f/13. Io was coming out from an occultation while the GRS was about to begin its transit. Visually the planet was quite a sight at 216x with a 6mm UO orthoscopic. The activity in the equatorial region was quite obvious and the GRS could be easily observed with several well defined belts. The image was taken using a triplet 2x Barlow. Afterwards I continued on a tour of some of my favorite objects including the Orion Nebula, Rigel, Alnitak, Eta Orionis, M35, M36, M37, M38, M41 and the Double Cluster in Perseus. The very dark field of view provided great contrast for all the clusters. Alnitak and Eta Orionis were nicely resolved at 216x. M38 always looks to me as if I were looking at the moment when we enter warp speed. Well, at least was what we imagine how it would look through the cabin window of the Millenium Falcon. All stars seem to be coming from one central point. The old 100mm Carton lens showed little CA even when observing Rigel.

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[Terra Nova]

It was cloudy most of the day yesterday, and then it cleared off by early evening. I went to an astronomy lecture last night but beforehand I have opportunity to observe the thin crescent moon and Venus. They were quite lovely!

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[cavedweller]

I observed Jupiter with a C8. It is a wonderful scope, but somehow the 8” MRG I think gives better views. I will have to do a side -by-side at a star party.

[Bomber Bob]

I managed only 1 night out in 3+ weeks, and that was only because my Brother found his old pair of binoculars.  We were down at The Gulf visiting, and his home is out in the boondocks -- while walking the dogs, I saw splotches of the Milky Way in Perseus & Auriga...  He says that's common... We put the dogs in, he found the old 7x35s, and we took turns.  The Double Cluster... wow!

 

Oh, and Jupiter seemed at least twice as bright down there than at The Swamp...  He lobbies us to move down his way... An easy sell!

[Bomber Bob]

Gonna try - AGAIN! - to observe Jupiter with my mighty Meade 826 tonight...  Poor old scope has been a "Hangar Queen" for weeks now...

 

No Lie:  The cold fronts we're getting now are at least 7 weeks early!  The older I get, the less tolerance I have for those Northeast to Northwest 10+ knot sneaky frozen devils...  they'll find every chink in my layers of cotton & knit armor...  GRS at the meridian is a motivator, but...

 

Also moved my '86 C8 back out to the shed -- just in case...  I bought a new Vixen 4-slot 1.25" Eyepiece Turret for it that I want to test.

 

Managed some fine views of the GRS & Galileans last night with 3 scopes - Meade 826 + C8 + TS-65S / 1000.  I brought out the Triplet to confirm the seeing, which with intermittent linear haze strands, was all over the scale -- 7 / 10 at best.  This limited the 826 to just 300x (Radian 4), C8 to 200x (LV 10), & TS to 200x (LV 5).  Took 3+ hours & lots of patience to get the best views from each scope.  Overall, the TS was the most consistently sharp.  In the clearest moments, the 4 Galileans varied in brightness, size, & color at 200x.  But... only the 826 gave any hints at internal structures in the salmon-colored GRS.  While the C8 lacked the sharpness of the Frac & Newt, the GRS & belts were a bit bolder -- darker pink GRS, and easily seen grays, browns, & oranges.

 

The much smaller TS-65 was really impressive given the conditions.  Before shutting down, I tried 400x (LV 2.5)... Galileans had crazy colors, and a violet fringe.  No smearing on the disk, but a dim & useless view.  But getting fine views at 200x with a 2.5" refractor ain't nothing!

Edited by Bomber Bob, 13 December 2024 - 12:06 PM.

[cavedweller]

I observed Moon and Saturn with my Celestron C6R (with Chromacor) at the Griffith Obssrvatory public star party. It compared well with other ED scopes present. I have it on a CI-700 mount and tripod.

​

[ccwemyss]

Took advantage of clear sky, despite 17*F temperature, to do a shoot out of the two UO 16mm flat-top Konigs. The one on the left is the later, probably NS, and the one on the right is the Pro series.

 

 

Used the C14 on Jupiter (244X). Some turbulence but good moments of seeing. Both eyepieces showed wonderful detail all the way to the poles, multiple ovals, barges, texture between the EBs, and curlicues on one EB. Every time I thought I could see more detail in one, a switch revealed the same in the other. The Pro did seem just a bit warmer in color. 

 

Moving to M42, E and F were clear as day in the Pro version, which seemed just a bit brighter than the NS. But they were also clear in it. 

 

On the moon, the multi coatings of the NS showed their advantage, with a clearly darker background just off the terminator. But I didn't see any difference in the detail they revealed. Both showed some field curvature

 

Then over to Mars, which was quite bright, so that Hellas Planitia looked like another polar cap. The actual pole was very prominent, and a dark V was visible above Hellas. But it was low and swimming in waves of air. 

 

For fun, I put a 3mm DeLite in the 6"f9 (457X) and Mars really came to life as a three dimensional orb, with more detail visible in the dark areas, the pole more clearly defined, and Hellas Planitia becoming an obvious oval. Not nearly as disturbed by the turbulence. It reminded me why I love this old AP refractor.

 

Chip W.

 

 

[cavedweller]

Took advantage of clear sky, despite 17*F temperature, to do a shoot out of the two UO 16mm flat-top Konigs. The one on the left is the later, probably NS, and the one on the right is the Pro series.

 

Konig - 1 (1).jpeg

 

Used the C14 on Jupiter (244X). Some turbulence but good moments of seeing. Both eyepieces showed wonderful detail all the way to the poles, multiple ovals, barges, texture between the EBs, and curlicues on one EB. Every time I thought I could see more detail in one, a switch revealed the same in the other. The Pro did seem just a bit warmer in color. 

 

Moving to M42, E and F were clear as day in the Pro version, which seemed just a bit brighter than the NS. But they were also clear in it. 

 

On the moon, the multi coatings of the NS showed their advantage, with a clearly darker background just off the terminator. But I didn't see any difference in the detail they revealed. Both showed some field curvature

 

Then over to Mars, which was quite bright, so that Hellas Planitia looked like another polar cap. The actual pole was very prominent, and a dark V was visible above Hellas. But it was low and swimming in waves of air. 

 

For fun, I put a 3mm DeLite in the 6"f9 (457X) and Mars really came to life as a three dimensional orb, with more detail visible in the dark areas, the pole more clearly defined, and Hellas Planitia becoming an obvious oval. Not nearly as disturbed by the turbulence. It reminded me why I love this old AP refractor.

 

Chip W.

I am envious of being able to see the things you describe. I am at a point where I am willing to devote funds on top end scopes, but my eyesight is now not up to the task.

[ccwemyss]

My eyes were not good either. Cataract surgery made a big difference. 

 

Forgot to mention the other star field last night. Frost crystals on the grass filled the entire yard with adamantine sparkles. Indescribably beautiful, just walking to and from the observatory. Even though my feet were freezing on the way in, I had to keep stopping to sweep the flashlight around. Breathtaking!

 

Chip W. 

[Bomber Bob]

Bonus Night!  Overcast at dinner, but when I took Jake out for his pre-bed walk, the eastern sky was clear as a bell -- Orion, The Moon, & Jupiter blazing.  I rushed him along (didn't let him sniff every other dog spot in the neighborhood), and had my FC-100 out and observing in less than 5 minutes.

 

No GRS, but the FC started breaking out the NEB & SEB details at just 100x (Radian 8) -- a pair of festoons & a large barge.  At 200x (Radian 4), 6 belts carved into that "Icy Tak" white.  I did an Eyepiece Shoot-Out:  AT Paradigm 3.2 (250x) vs LV 2.5 (320x)... 8 belts in both; sharper belts & limb in the AT, the zones are pure white, and the NEB & SEB are shades of brown rather than gray.  Zones in the LV are off-white, but I could see a tail on the larger festoon, and the smaller one had a spiral structure that I couldn't see with the AT.  I haven't looked at the schematics for my LVs, but visually they remind me of Kellners, while the ATs are most like good quality Orthos -- but both designs with much better eye relief than their predecessors.  Bonus!! as I get older...

 

With streamer clouds returning, I did a quick False Color Check with all my Paradigms -- my back-ordered 25mm came in WEDS -- using the near Full Moon.  Blinding! with the 25, but zero FC.  As I racked-up the power, ending with the 3.2mm, I centered a small crater with a prominent white debris trail.  That trail became less white, but no yellowing on it or any other feature at 250x.

 

So:  I can recommend the AT Paradigm Series for old scopes.  Half the price of used Radians or Naglers, but with comparable views.

 

Oh!  And, once again:  Tough To Beat A Tak.

[jgraham]

We had a bit of clearish skies this afternoon and I took advantage of the break to send some time observing the sun and Venus with my 1969 Questar 3.5. It is very easy to align the setting circles using the sun as a reference point and from there finding Venus is easy. The planet showed a slight gibbous phase with a beautifully soft terminator and I swear I can see subtle albedo features in the clouds. Very pretty

[photiost]

Solar projection today using my grab + go 75mm f/7.5 Jaegar refractor and a 20mm eyepiece which gives 28x

 

Lots of sunspots I counted 5 groups the largest near the center AR3924 has actually 2 components with lots of smaller sunspots between the two.

[clamchip]

Today was one of those days I could push the power up. I could tell right away, so I 

work my way up and see what I can get away with. 400X with a Parks Orthoscopic 3.8mm

and my Jaegers 4 inch f/15 with Carton lens. This is new to me, I haven't tried this before

with this telescope.

Here's a picture of the instrument and the Cascade foothills off in the distance at 8 miles.

You can see in the photo what's between the hills and I, not much, it's like an ocean. The

mountains are clouded over in this photo.

I think the ocean has a lot to do with the reason I can go to 400X with this scope. It's really

entertaining the detail I can see out there at 8 miles, I can do it for hours. 

I have yet to see man or critter, and I'd give anything to see a human face. I feel confident this

scope will resolve a bear on up. Maybe even a raccoon. If I can see a squirrel at 8 miles I'll

have this telescope gold plated with rubies for focuser knobs.

Robert

 

[cavedweller]

Observed Moon through Zeiss 12" and 9.5" refractors at Griffith Observatory last night near the zenith. Full Moon will be farthest north it has been in 18 years tonight/tomorrow (Major Lunar Standstill).

[deSitter]

Observed Moon through Zeiss 12" and 9.5" refractors at Griffith Observatory last night near the zenith. Full Moon will be farthest north it has been in 18 years tonight/tomorrow (Major Lunar Standstill).

I hope it clears up before 1:25 AM. The Moon will be almost directly overhead, flanked by Mars and Jupiter and a slew of stellar luminaries, including Canopus due S!

 

-drl

[CHASLX200]

Clear every nite here and not used a scope in months.  

[ccwemyss]

Today was one of those days I could push the power up. I could tell right away, so I 

work my way up and see what I can get away with. 400X with a Parks Orthoscopic 3.8mm

and my Jaegers 4 inch f/15 with Carton lens. This is new to me, I haven't tried this before

with this telescope.

Here's a picture of the instrument and the Cascade foothills off in the distance at 8 miles.

You can see in the photo what's between the hills and I, not much, it's like an ocean. The

mountains are clouded over in this photo.

I think the ocean has a lot to do with the reason I can go to 400X with this scope. It's really

entertaining the detail I can see out there at 8 miles, I can do it for hours. 

I have yet to see man or critter, and I'd give anything to see a human face. I feel confident this

scope will resolve a bear on up. Maybe even a raccoon. If I can see a squirrel at 8 miles I'll

have this telescope gold plated with rubies for focuser knobs.

Robert

 

 

Should be reasonable to spot a squirrel if it's out in the open. I use a building 8 miles away for my test target. When the air is still I can see 1" window mullions, starling sized birds, and make out people and what they are wearing, using scopes in the 80mm to 100mm aperture range at around 200-300X (at least some scopes -- not all).

 

Chip W.